


“Tioné Skyon, Ninth Handmaiden in the Second Class for Padmé Amidala”

by Polgarawolf



Series: Star Wars: You Became to Me [20]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: F/F, Handmaidens, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), POV Original Character, Sacrificial ethics, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-10-18
Updated: 2007-10-18
Packaged: 2017-11-13 08:44:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/501629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polgarawolf/pseuds/Polgarawolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is fifteen random but chronological moments from the life of Tioné Skyon, who is, quite literally, the ninth handmaiden in the second training class of potential handmaidens chosen from among a large pool of applicants for the job for the newly elected Nabooian Queen Padmé Amidala. There is an actual story here – one small thread among the vast woven tapestry of life that is the living history of the galaxy, stretched out and twisted, knotted into the whole, curled down among the roots of time, connecting various moments together – but one must read between the lines to capture it. It is not precisely the truth, for the subtle story of these moments is sketched out here in words, and, in the sin of writing down a life, it inevitably changes the shape of things. But it is nevertheless a form of truth. (From a certain point of view . . . )</p>
            </blockquote>





	“Tioné Skyon, Ninth Handmaiden in the Second Class for Padmé Amidala”

**Author's Note:**

> **Warning:** This story functions as a sort of compressed codex for Tioné Skyon’s life, as she is going to be written (or at least referred to) in my not even nearly complete AU **Star Wars** series **_You Became to Me_**. If anything doesn’t make sense, please feel free to ask!
> 
>  **Author’s Notes: 1.)** Again, for anyone interested, this not-quite-a-story is compatible with my SW AU series **_You Became to Me_** , including my _Thwarting the Revenge of the Sith_ trio, if you squint at a couple of things sideways and view a few others solely through the lens of Tioné Skyon’s eyes. **2.)** Although this is technically modeled on a prompt set that I borrowed from somewhere or another on the LJ (I really don’t recall from where anymore, precisely, though if someone would like to set the record straight, I’ll add the info for the community in question here in my notes), it’s not really meant to function as a response to whatever the challenge actually is that’s associated with said LJ prompt set. I just used the specific prompts to give me a reason to string together a backstory of sorts for Tioné. **3.)** Readers might want to consider the fact that Tioné, like a lot of native Nabooians, is fairly strong in the Force, but that she hasn’t received any training whatsoever to speak of and so has no real conscious control over that sensitivity to the Force. **4.)** Readers interested in knowing who the physical models are for original characters like Tioné should please consult the latest versions of my posted lists of cast original and EU characters and for handmaid(en)s and other important Nabooian characters, which are available on my LJ! For clarity's sake, though, please keep in mind that Tioné is physically modeled on a teenaged Erin Sanders! Also, please note that characters who may be alluded to but not referenced by name (certain family members of original characters, for example) are considered too minor to be cast at this time, and readers should feel free to imagine them howsoever they wish! **5.)** Handmaidens often tend to pair off, as is the case here, with Tioné Skyon and Aviné Bakrin, a fellow handmaiden from the same training class (hence, the relationship label for original female characters and the underage warning). **6.)** Speaking of pairings, I've labeled this story to indicate Padmé Amidala's love for Sabé, because, even though it may not be specifically mentioned in this character study piece, handmaid(en)s know so much about their sworn Lady that readers can be certain that Tioné, like all of Amidala's other handmaid(en)s, would have surely known about how much Amidala and Sabé love one another!
> 
>  **Story Notes:** **1.)** Since this is part of a larger on-going AU series that in some respects fairly closely mirrors or follows events of canon (up to a certain point, anyway), readers should please keep in mind that certain characters and events from the prequel movies/novelizations of the films and even events/places/people referenced in the EU or Expanded Universe may be mentioned or alluded to in this story. If anyone has any questions about whether someone or something is AU, canon, or EU canon, please feel free to ask! **2.)** Readers should probably be aware that I am roughly estimating (guestimating might be a better word) the original publication date for most of the character study pieces in the **_You Became to Me_** series (and indeed most of my stories, especially the ones written over a long period of time), based on when I roughed out notes for them in the story notebooks I carry everywhere with me and when I can recall having worked on certain groups of characters. The year is going to be accurate, but the month might be off and the day will almost certainly be randomly chosen, since the online account I had originally posted many of these stories to no longer exists. I tend to go back and edit things that are in series whenever I get the time or a new idea causes me to have to make room for something else plot-wise, and odds are good that a story could have been edited for typos as recently as the day of its posting here, but the original version will likely be much older and fairly close to the publication date that I attach to it, if anyone's curious!

**“Tioné Skyon, Ninth Handmaiden in the Second Class for Padmé Amidala”**

 

 **01.) Change:** She’s not particularly impressed with Naboo’s current government, so she supports the Princes of Theed in her attempt to get Veruna out of office, even though she finds the girl a bit too naïve sometimes (to the point where she occasionally finds herself wondering if she is too cynical, for someone only a year older than the Princess, or if the Princess has simply lived a slightly too sheltered life), because the people love the passionate young princess and she can tell that this idealistic young firebrand is going to be Naboo’s best chance for the kind of change they so desperately need, given a widening gap between the classes and the increasingly obvious lack of caring for the common people evidenced by the current administration.

 **02.) Throwback:** Her family regards her as a bit of a throwback – not since the time of her (maternal) great-grandmother have they had someone in their family who’s bestirred herself enough to become involved in politics, rather than simply living a life of ease as a landed noble of Theed, after all – and a rabble-rouser who skirts the borders of propriety a little bit too closely for their comfort; as long as they don’t actively try to keep her from doing what she wants to do and don’t attempt to actually force her into a marriage contract with one of the many “suitable young gentlemen” they (especially her mother and older, quite happily married sister) keep trying to throw into her path, though, she won’t raise a fuss or complain, for she knows, despite the constant nagging of her female relations and the frowns of her father, that they do love her and want the best for her and even want for her to be happy, even if they don’t seem to have a clue as to what would actually make her truly happy.

 **03.) Panic:** Unsurprisingly, her parents panic when she announces that she intends to apply for a position as a handmaiden to the new Queen, and the series of fights that follow are so spectacular and the process of wearing down their resistance to the idea so time-consuming that Tioné misses the cut-off date for the first round of applicants and has to content herself with the second, even though she’d wanted to be placed with the girls she knew from the time when Padmé was still seeking to be elected in Veruna’s place.

 **04.) Resemble:** She both does and does not resemble the Queen – she could likely pass as a first cousin or a slightly older sister easily enough, though no one is very likely to actually mistake her for Padmé Amidala without a bit of effort (with specialized cosmetics and clothing) on her part, first – but she’s well aware of what can be done with cosmetics (and so has no fear of being rejected for having a prominent beauty mark over the left side of her mouth, hair slightly darker than the Queen’s and eyebrows that are shaped differently, or a face that’s slightly longer than Amidala’s) and the right clothes, and even more well aware of her qualifications for the position, so she isn’t at all surprised to receive word that she’s been accepted into the second handmaiden training class, even though her family’s interference put her dangerously close to the cut-off date for _that_ round of applicants as well.

 **05.) High:** Her family ranks fairly high in the unofficial aristocracy of the city-state of Theed, and there are those in her class who seem somewhat wary of her, on account of her wealth and privilege and familiarity with the Queen and most of her principal handmaidens, but she pays them no mind, concentrating instead on doing her best and proving her trustworthiness and ability by example rather than by making a fuss and a possible spectacle of herself.

 **06.) Note:** There are five girls of note in her training group: Dané Cashillé, daughter of one of the most wealthy and beautiful celebrities and humanitarians of Naboo and first cousin to the principal handmaiden Yané Cashillé, who is rather like an even more idealistic and passionate (as well as headstrong) version of the Queen; Shelanné Glenn, who seems so much like a quieter, calmer version of Sabé that it’s almost eerie, how perfectly she balances Dané’s fire; Nanné Maranno, who somehow combines the steady serenity of Shelanné with the fervent idealism of Dané with the intelligence of a protégée and the caring of a natural nurturer without in any way seeming overwhelming or unbalanced in any of her diverse attributes; Essé Seltrin, who frankly strikes her as a user and as a dangerous time bomb just waiting for the right kind of touch to set her off and as someone who (in her opinion) never should have been allowed to walk around free of medical supervision, much less accepted into the handmaiden program; and a young girl by the name of Aviné from Nakerasi (a rural town not far from the city of Spinnaker), with hair like flowing honey and a smile just as slow and sweet and maddeningly addictive as that sweet treat, who, with a single glance or small smile, can effortlessly make Tioné’s pulse race and thunder and her hands shake and her whole being seem lighter, in a way none of those eminently eligible and suitable young gentlemen thrown her way by her family have ever done.

 **07.) Court:** She is intimately familiar with the manners and airs of the nobility and the court, as capable and accomplished in any and every kind of task that might be expected of a Queen’s lady-in-waiting and genteel chosen companion as one born and bred to the service might be, and as intelligent and learned and aware of both the needs of the people and of the hallmarks of a smoothly functioning government as any well-trained and devoted person of actual office could possibly be expected to be; yet, in one area she struggles and is as helpless and ignorant as a babe in the woods might be, for combat is most decidedly _not_ an appropriate pastime for a young lady of noble birth and she has never been expected to be able to defend herself physically against an attacking enemy, much less expected to be able to effectively shelter a Queen with her speed and proficiency at weapons, and she soon has cause to be glad of the fact that her dancing and riding and occasional participation in a genteel hunt has kept her in fairly good shape, for otherwise she fears she might not always be able to rise to the challenge of the tasks set for the class by their physical instructors.

 **08.) Converse:** Sabé (with whom she’s become not exactly friends but at least gotten on friendly enough terms with that they can converse and work together quite comfortably) takes her aside one day after a spectacularly grueling marathon session of running and mock fighting and quietly points out that things will get easier – that her hands will become accustomed to the shape and heft and functions of many different kinds of weapons and that her flesh will learn to crave the exultation and exhaustion that comes of hard work and a series of katas perfectly performed, if she only sticks with it and gives herself time to properly adjust – and her first instinct (to angrily snap that she’s doing just fine, thanks, and is in no need of any slackening to the pace of their instruction) gives way to such a confusion of shamed embarrassment that (for once in her life) she simply has no idea what to do or say, when Sabé places her hand gently on Tioné’s right shoulder and adds that she is one of the most promising trainees they’ve had yet and that she must take more care with herself and allow herself time to adjust and not put herself at risk by pushing too hard, too soon, and she realizes that the gleam in Sabé’s eyes is honest concern and warmth, the outpouring of emotion both so genuine and so unexpected that she finds herself on the brink of tears and being ushered off for a nice cup of hot tea and a not quite lecture (about being aware of one’s limits and working within those limits in order to successfully expand them) interspersed with a long, frank, and fascinating discussion about the various strengths and weaknesses of her fellow trainees and the way in which Sabé hopes that the various handmaiden classes will all eventually be able to combine, in such a way as to allow for a more natural division of labor and skills between actual handmaidens and perhaps just handmaids who specialize only in guardian skills or the skills of a successful lady-in-waiting, rather than expecting them all to be able to combine both of these aspects with the more political minded talents and skills of those who will be as true helpmeets and aides to the Queen.

 **09.) Interest:** Tioné is not overly familiar with the ways of two women together, though she has, of course, participated in the rites of adulthood and her family had naturally hired a genteel tutor to thoroughly ready her for the reality of that ceremonial coming of age, but she knows herself well enough to be both sure of what she wants from Aviné and to be certain that it is quite a bit more serious than any mere passing fancy, and so she sets herself to catching Aviné’s attention and to making her interest in her known, much as she would have done with any other suitor, and then waits patiently for the shy young lady to notice and respond to her interest.

 **10.) Beloved:** Loving Aviné is good for her, and not just because she is happier with Aviné by her side than she can ever remember being before in all her life, but because things seem . . . oddly easy, with her beloved there to help lighten the load and raise her spirits and gently encourage her with soft smiles and loving touches, and perhaps another might say that she’s simply finally adjusted enough to the workload for it to no longer seem quite so onerous, but Tioné rather prefers to think that her love has given her strength.

 **11.) Benefit:** There are several odd, quite ancient rituals – combinations of ceremonial intent and mind-sharpening exercises blended with various meticulously detailed meditation techniques – that are meant to help strengthen one’s natural connection with the Force and to open oneself up more fully to the voice and will of the Great Lady, and Aviné thinks that the handmaidens could benefit from trying them and attempting to discover the shape and nature of the disaster that they can virtually all feel looming darkly over their beautiful world, but their instructors all seem too stunned by the notion to know how to respond to the suggestion, and Sabé councils caution, when they propose the idea to her, given the nearness of their scheduled return to the Palace (apparently thinking that it will be safer to try such a thing with both of the first two classes combined than with just a few of them from the second group alone), so they don’t get to try it, even though Tioné has a feeling that Aviné is right and they really should risk it.

 **12.) Out:** The Trade Federation’s deviousness and boldness in having secured actual armies of droid soldiers to bring against Naboo in a blatant act of invasion shock her and anger her so much that she takes a certain amount of vindictive glee in the process of fighting their way out of the Palace, so they can obey their Queen and go to ground, where they can more safely begin an organized resistance to counter the efforts of the interloping Trade Federation.

 **13.) Live:** The various missions don’t bother or frighten her nearly as much as she can tell they do some of the others, like the soft-hearted Princess Ellie of Theed and her anxious few surviving young handmaidens – and, thankfully (for she’s not entirely sure what she would say to her, otherwise), the same level of relative comfort with the overall situation holds true for Aviné, too – yet, it’s not because she’s suddenly become foolishly brave or convinced that she is untouchable, but rather because she knows, somehow, that she will live to see her Queen again.

 **14.) Lifetime:** Eighteen days can feel like a lifetime, even without fear and worry dogging one’s every step, and she finds that she feels so much older and wiser and calmer, when the Queen finally returns, that she can’t help but to look on Padmé Amidala (with all of her wild schemes and wasteful nervous energy) as one might a much beloved but rather excitable child.

 **15.) Guard:** They are told to guard Dormé with their lives, and Tioné knows, somehow, that nothing less will be required of them, and that Aviné can sense it, too, and so, while they are sad to have so little time left together, they do what they can to live another lifetime together in their time remaining, and then they bravely go to meet their end together, Tioné mustering up enough strength (despite the pain of multiple blaster wounds) to gently place a hand on Aviné’s head and to smile down at her and whisper, “I love you,” one more time before breathing her last.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Clarification Note:** One of the reasons why my AU **Star Wars** series _**You Became to Me**_ is so entirely not even nearly complete has to do with the fact that I really started writing at the wrong end of the prequel trilogy for an AU (in my defense, though, when I started what became my _Thwarting the Revenge of the Sith_ trio, which is over a million words long, I thought I was doing a sort of one-shot fix-it based on an idea I got for "fixing" RotS by changing something that happens very near the end of James Luceno's EU novel _Labyrinth of Evil_ , which is set immediately prior to RotS). One of these days, I fully intend to rectify that problem by going back and starting from the beginning, with an AU rewrite of TPM, which is why I took the time to do a character study sketch for a supporting character like Tioné. She'll be showing up again, in a more prominent role, whenever I get around to that AU rewrite of TPM. Folks might want to keep that in mind when reading this, since technically this is spoilerish for an AU novel that I haven't gotten around to writing yet!


End file.
